


An Unforgiving Frontier

by Soawksahm (socawkSAHM)



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2018-08-19 17:18:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8218852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/socawkSAHM/pseuds/Soawksahm
Summary: (Alternate world AU) After a mysterious thief makes Sting look bad yet another time, Jiemma sends Sting on a mission to make it clear that nobody steals from Sabertooth.





	1. Chapter 1

The sound of door opening was a faint whisper but to Sting it was like a gunshot, jerking him out of his half-asleep state. He adjusted his stance on the top shelf so that he was ready to pounce and watched, eyes narrowed in the darkness to pick up the slightest movement. A slice of pale moonlight cut into the pitch black of the store room illuminating racks of canned goods and bins of root vegetables. When a dark shadow disrupted the light's path and Sting became giddy, legs bouncing slightly with the itch to jump. Tonight would be the night, tonight he would take this intruder out.

Now that the cold air was settling in, supplies were beginning to disappear just as they had the winter before. It was never very much, a potato here, a can of beans there. If it weren't for Rufus' careful record keeping they would have never noticed the difference, hell last year they were convinced the man was crazy. Now that it was happening again, they were sure, someone was stealing from them and no matter how small the amount, nobody stole from Sabertooth.

Unfortunately catching the thief had proved impossible. Whoever it was watched them closely and only slipped through when they feel asleep. Or rather when Sting fell asleep. Unluckily for him it had only been on his watch that the person had made it through. Jiemma was pissed and for Sting's punishment he now had to guard the stores every night. So for the last two weeks Sting kept his lonely vigil.

Sting was determined not to let the thief pass again. He already had decreased rations for himself and Lector. There was no telling what the next punishment would be, some kind of hard labor, or worse expulsion from their little community. Sting couldn't bear the thought. So he perched up on a top shelf where both he couldn't be seen and wouldn't fall asleep and night after night he waited. It had been three days now on that shelf; he was sore, he was tired, he was not letting this asshole go.

Finally the shadow at the door moved, one hesitant step into the dark room. Sting smiled, they were smaller than he had expected. He could easily overpower someone so small. It might just be some kid like Rogue had predicted. Sting's knife remained in its sheath at his belt, since Rogue wouldn't like it if Sting stabbed a kid. Didn't matter much to him anyway, Sting could easily break a finger or two with his bare hands, and after two weeks of no sleep he couldn't wait.

The intruder's steps were practically soundless as they crept into the room. With each step Sting's smile grew. Finally after weeks of waiting, weeks of sleepless, frustrating nights, finally he was going to get him. The muscles in his thighs jerked, ready to make a move. But just as the thief was about to be in perfect position, there was a low growl at the doorway and the thief froze.

Sting glanced at the doorway and found a large dog. Sting looked back to the intruder, was the dog friend or foe? A rag wrapped arm fell back to signal the dog to stay, definitely friend. Sting cursed internally, the dog was giving him away. He was going to lose his chance!

The intruder began to retreat and Sting realized it was now or never. He lunged from the shelf and caught them by the shoulders, using their small body to break his fall. Then he whipped them around and straddled them, holding them down roughly with an arm jammed in their throat. "Caught ya asshole!"

Most of the face was hidden by a tattered scarf but beautiful brown eyes went wide when they took in his face. Then the eyes narrowed and the thief began to struggle. "Let go of me!" came a muffled shout in a woman's voice and Sting nearly released her in surprise. A woman alone in these woods was like a mermaid in the sea. They only existed in stories the guys made up about first times and lost loves. The terrain was rough and if you could survive it, Titan Nose was wandering the hills collecting any women they could find like cattle to sell to some of the rougher groups up north.

While Sting stared at his unexpected visitor, the dog came barreling in but stopped just short of taking Sting's arm when the girl cried, "Polaris stay!" This made the dog frantic, desperately torn between obedience and saving it's master. It bounded back and forth, barking as if its life depended on it.

Snapped from his musings and desperate to get away from the dog's jaws, Sting struggled to pull himself and the girl to their feet as she wiggled and kicked. Sting should have remained on the ground, the others would be there soon drawn by the loud barking, but he was cocky. He was bigger than her, he was stronger than her, he was a man; he felt it was obvious that he had the upper hand . He spun her and with one arm around her throat and the other across her middle holding her arms to her sides, Sting began pushing the girl forward, using her body to protect himself from any unexpected attacks from the dog.

"The others will be surprised to find out it was just a little thing like you breaking into our stores, making me look like an idiot," he hissed in her ear. He lifted a hand, "You know what we do with people who steal? Take a finger. Which one do you think you could live without? The pinky? The ring finger?" The girl trembled with fear and he was suddenly disgusted with himself. After a month of being made to look like a fool he was angry, but he had taken it too far and now he worried Jiemma might demand just that.

Sting should have been paying attention instead of standing there holding her hand. His threat only made the girl fight smarter. Her free hand yanked something off her belt and in one swift motion she brought it up and back down to jam it deep into Sting's thigh.

Sharp pain overwhelmed all his senses, causing him to loosen his grip. She used it to her advantage, with a fast elbow to the gut and then a fist to his jaw, she freed herself and sprinted for the door with the dog following quickly after. Sting attempted to follow but his leg was screaming and refused to properly hold his weight. He reached down to pull out what appeared to be bone but to his revulsion it pulled at the skin. There was no way it was going to come out cleanly.

Sting cursed and hopped towards the door but by the time he got outside, the girl was long gone. He slammed a fist on the side of the shed and cursed at the sky. Jiemma was going to eat him for breakfast.

Rogue came from the direction of the house, half dressed and hair messily swept away from his face. His mouth twisted up in a sympathetic grimace when he said, "I'm guessing it didn't go well then?"

Sting pointed to his leg and scowled "What the hell do you think?"

* * *

Even after the house was long behind her, Yukino ran and ran until her legs couldn't carry her any further. When her lungs felt like they might burst, she collapsed beneath a tree, knees and palms painfully hitting the frozen dirt. Polaris whimpered and licked her face. Yukino began petting the dog frantically. What if she had lost him? He was all she had left now.

She fell onto Polaris, her arms wrapped around his neck in an awkward hug, and cried. She cried for the sister that was so long gone, she cried for his littermates all lost in their struggle to protect her, she cried for this lonely last year of the two of them, she cried for the cold months ahead. Yukino had convinced herself that the old house was a safe place, that those people knew she was taking and didn't care. She had convinced herself that they would be warm and welcoming, that if she would just work up the courage to speak to them, they would bring her into their fold. This one night had brought her dream crashing down to stark cold reality.

It was almost worse that it was him, the light one, the smiling one. He had always seemed like he would be the most kind, the most fun. She held out the hand he had threatened to mutilate and flexed the cotton wrapped fingers. How could he have been so awful? Would he have seriously cut off her finger?

She pulled away from Polaris and wiped her eyes. The dog nosed her cheek and Yukino grinned through her tears and scratched his chin. "Sorry boy, looks like what we've taken so far is all we're going to have this winter."

She sat back on her heels and looked at the sky through the bare branches of the trees. For once the clouds were gone and the stars shined brightly. Sorano always said that if Yukino looked hard enough she could see their mom and dad smiling down at them. Yukino worried that after this winter she might be joining them.

* * *

Sting swallowed deeply but otherwise hid all signs of discomfort as he sat at the table waiting for Jiemma to decide his fate. It was important to keep a brave face on for Rogue, and especially for Lector and Frosh. If they worried too much or tried to act on his behalf, they could get pulled into Sting's punishment as well. Jiemma was cruel but consistent; this was Sting's first infraction, he knew better than to make a big show. Today would be his third strike on dealing with the intruder, whatever Jiemma had in store for him would not be pleasant.

The old man stared Sting down as he finished the last of his coffee, then he motioned with one finger for Sting to come closer. Sting reluctantly pulled himself from his seat and trudged over to stand next to the old man, struggling to fight against his body's instinct to lean away. Jiemma looked Sting in the eye then sucker punched him in the gut. Sting collapsed to his knees, grunting from the pain that shot through his recent injury when his leg roughly hit the floor. He took deep labored breaths, knowing that one cry or complaint would lead to more. You could never show weakness in front of Jiemma or he would attack it like a wolf selecting its prey.

Jiemma shook his head slowly and sighed. "You just keep disappointing me Sting. You think I like this? You think I want to reprimand you first thing in the morning?"

"No sir," Sting gasped as he struggled back to his feet.

"I didn't think so, yet here we are." Jiemma stood and scowled down at Sting. "Tell me son, what are we going to do about this little problem that we have? How are we going to fix this?"

"I could trade off with Sting sir, I don't mind giving up sleep," Rogue offered.

"Absolutely not. We're not sitting and waiting for this to happen again." He crossed his arms. "Sting, go pack your things and take one of the rifles from the upstairs closet. You're going to find that pest and you're going to exterminate it."

Sting paled. Exterminate? For a few lousy potatoes and couple cans of beans? The man was off his rocker.

"Father, you can't be serious! That would be a waste of ammo!" Minerva exclaimed.

"Don't make him go out sir! It's too late in the winter, the snow will be here soon. He'll freeze to death out there!" Lector cried before Rogue managed to pull him back and cover his mouth.

Jiemma snapped his head towards Lector, "I don't remember asking your opinion boy."

"Sir?" Sting said hurriedly, trying to direct Jiemma's attention back at himself. He could take a beating, he could take whatever punishment Jiemma gave out. Lector was only nine, Lector would break. "Do you think that's absolutely necessary? She's just a girl."

Jiemma raised a brow and Sting fought the urge to cower. It was clear now that in his haste he had chosen poorly. Jiemma jammed a finger into Sting's solar plexus. "Just a girl huh? Well too bad _just a gir_ l snuck past you twice. Too bad _just a girl_ tore up your leg. Too bad _just a girl_ slipped through your clutches and made you look like some kind of incompetent little bitch. How dare you try tell me she's just a girl! This girl could be a spy, she could be anything! She's survived this long on her own which means she must be dangerous. This is not a land for pussies. Is Minerva just a girl too?"

Sting glared at where Minerva stood looking mighty proud of herself. Comparing other women to Minerva was ridiculous, that girl wasn't human. He looked back to Jiemma, "No sir."

"That's right,"Jiemma snapped.

"But sir, I really scared her. There's no way she would take a risk and come back here," Sting insisted.

"Scared her? You really think that's going to be enough? Clearly I haven't taught you all enough about the world yet. Do you know the desperation of being starving? Do you know what it is to have to survive a snowstorm on just a handful of berries and a half-frozen squirrel? No, you don't and yet for some reason you think you can tell me what we need to do?" He took a step closer and grabbed the front of Sting's shirt. "You know what your problem is boy? You never know when to keep your damn mouth shut! For that you get only two days rations to take with you."

Sting bit back a protest, saying something else might mean no rations. Still, that girl could be miles away by now. Two days of food would hardly be enough. Maybe he could just walk out shoot into the night sky and return in the morning.

"You better bring me back some kind of proof," Jiemma said as he dropped Sting's collar and stalked away.

"Excuse me sir?" Sting choked out.

Jiemma turned back to Sting from his spot in the doorway. "Proof of her death Sting. Or if you like you can bring her back and I'll deal with her, but I promise I won't be kind. Do it boy, or you," he paused and pointed to where Lector stood hiding slightly behind Rogue, "and that little shit are on your own."

Sting frowned. Lector was so young; he needed this place, he needed steady nutrition while he grew, he needed shelter, he needed family. Sting would be fine, he was on the cusp of adulthood, he was strong. Even with the worst of winter around the corner Sting knew he could survive, but Lector would struggle. Sting looked back at Jiemma, wishing he could knock the smug smile off the old man's face, but instead he said, "Yes sir."

"Good, now you get the hell out of here," Jiemma said. "I'm going to go take down some more trees with Orga. You had better be gone by the time I return." Then he disappeared into the rest of the house.

Orga followed reluctantly, mouthing 'good luck' as he followed Jiemma out the door.

Rogue patted Sting on the back and whispered, "You want me to come with you? It would probably take Jiemma a day or two to notice. We might even be able to grab the girl and get back before he even realized I'm gone."

"Nah," he turned to Rogue with a cocky grin, "you know I got this. I'll be back before you know it."


	2. Preparations

Sting tightened down the straps on his pack then hefted it up over his shoulders. "Feels kinda ridiculous packing so much for something that's just gonna take a day."

Rogue rolled his eyes, "You can stop acting so cocky. No one else is around. I know this is going to take you more than a day."

Sting scoffed, "No faith."

Rogue went over to his bed and pulled something out from under the mattress. "I don't like that Jiemma is sending you alone. I should have gone with you, it's not safe to be alone out there this time of year. Mother nature is such a bitch here and sometimes the other groups get desperate and start picking along our edges. "

Sting grinned, "Like I said no faith. Come on man, you know I'll be fine. I wouldn't want you to come with me anyway. Who would look after Lector and Frosh? I don't trust the old man lately. Our numbers have gotten pretty lean and I don't think it's cause the food's no good."

Rogue shoved a bag in Sting's arms, "Here take this."

"What's this?" Sting held up a bag stuffed with jerky and dried apples. "Rogue! You can't give me this! Where did you even get this?"

"I've been setting aside bits from my lunch every day since Jiemma cut back your rations. I was worried he would cut you off completely if you messed up again." Rogue frowned down at his shoes. "I never expected him to send you out after her like this. The big snow is just around the corner."

Sting placed a supportive hand on his friend's shoulder. "Rogue, I'll be fine. I promise."

Rogue looked up, his face twisted with worry. "What if he's doing this just to get rid of you? He's been punishing you more and more lately, it just seems excessive. I told you I don't think he likes the way you talk back. I wish you had listened."

Sting shook his head. "You know I've gotta say what needs to be said. Who cares if the old man doesn't like it. I'll just have to show him I won't go down so easily."

Rogue nodded and they headed out of their room and towards the back door. Lector came flying past, dressed head-to-toe in oversized snow gear and with a sloppily packed bag on his back. Sting halted his progress with a firm hand on one of the straps.

Sting cocked his head and turned Lector around to face him. "Hey, hey, hey! Where do you think you're going?"

An excited smile lit up the boy's face. "With you of course!"

"Definitely not," Sting said with a shake of his head. He flipped Lector around roughly and tore the bag from his back then tossed it aside. "Lector, you have to stay here."

"No way!" Lector protested. He hurried over to retrieve his bag. "I'm going with you, you can't make me stay here."

Sting kicked the bag out of his reach. "You have to stay here Lector."

"What the hell is wrong with you? I want to go with you. Why can't I go with you?" Lector cried.

"Lector, it's dangerous out there. You know it's blizzard season. You see that sun shining out there? We haven't had an precipitation in weeks, so we're do for a shit ton. There's a good chance I'll get caught in it." Sting placed his hands on Lector's shoulders to make the boy look at him. Then he said in a softer voice, "Lector you could die out there. This isn't some camping trip, I might have to travel far. I've gotta do it on my own."

"But you could die out there too!" Lector exclaimed.

Sting wrinkled his nose. "Me? Die from a little snow? What kind of Sabertooth tiger do you take me for?" He leaned down to touch his forehead to Lector's and said, "Don't worry bout me buddy, I'll be fine. The monsters and the snow will be afraid of me."

Then he stood up straight and ruffled Lector's hair. "I promise I'll be back before you know I'm gone."

"But I'm a tiger too," Lector said weakly.

Sting laughed, "One day maybe, but right now you're still a cub. You need to stay here and get big and strong so that next time you can come with me."

"Okay. . ." Lector began to cry, though he was trying his best to hide it by rubbing his eyes and sniffling the snot back in.

Sting looked up at Rogue and grimaced. The way everyone was acting you would have thought Jiemma had given him a death sentence. He didn't want to leave them, he didn't want to do this alone, he didn't want to do this at all. It was stupid to kill someone over a few measly portions of food. Jiemma hoarded it like they were close to starving but Sting knew they had enough to feed at least twice the amount of people they were feeding now.

Rogue punched him in the arm and smiled. He mouthed, "He'll be fine."

Sting grabbed Rogue's hand and pulled him into a back patting hug. "Til next time brother."

Then he hugged Lector tight, glad Jiemma wasn't around to reprimand them for being affectionate. "You be good, I'll be back soon."

They followed him out the door but didn't leave the deck. Just before entering the woods where he had last seen the girl flee, Sting turned one last time to look at the house. Rogue and Lector still watched him with solemn faces, he was really going to miss them. Sting smiled and waved, hoping his laidback expression would sooth their concerns, then turned to set off into the wilderness. He wondered if he would ever see them again.

* * *

Yukino threw open the door and started unwrapping her hands with a sigh of relief. It was so good to finally make it home, hell it was so good to have a place to call home. When she found it at the end of the summer Yukino knew it was probably a bad idea to set up camp in the tiny hunting cabin, but she couldn't help herself. After wandering for years and living in caves and shelters made of leaves and branches she needed this. Last winter had been hell in the tiny cave she used for shelter, this year she would winter in comfort.

The log structure was hidden well by overgrown trees and brush. It wasn't much but to Yukino it felt like a palace. One small room with a small loft area to sleep in, a few built in cabinets, and an old wood stove. It even had a small composting toilet attached off the back. Squirrels and birds had made nests in the rafters but after nearly a lifetime of living outside, it felt more comfortable having them there. She hoped that she could count on the cold weather keeping enemies away. Though it was probably a false security, she felt safe inside the thick wooden walls.

Yukino set about making a fire in the stove. The process had become a familiar one, it gave her time to try and organize her thoughts as she went through the steps. She needed to collect more firewood, and since the food trip had been a bust, she would have to find more food. Most of the worthwhile vegetation had frozen and died away by now. Which meant going for a hunt.

Yukino frowned as she blew on the slow starting embers in the stove. Hunting would be difficult this time of year, most animals had either migrated or found a home for the winter by now. The sky had been a slate grey when she arrived and most of the birds were already gone, a sure fire sign of a coming storm. She needed to catch something tomorrow, preferably something big.

When the fire was strong enough to live on its own, Yukino added a few more small logs and shut the door. Her makeshift bed in the loft area looked extremely tempting but there was still a few hours of daylight, this wasn't the time to rest. She sat for a few minutes by the warmth of the stove then reluctantly pulled herself to her feet. Yukino needed to go collect wood while she still could, at least she could now have the knowledge that by the time she got back the house would be nice and toasty. She wrapped her scarf around her head and wrapped up her hands then stepped out into the cold to get to work.

* * *

Thankfully in her haste, the thief had not thought to cover her tracks. For a long time Sting was able to follow an obvious path of broken twigs and crushed grass cover. But after nearly half a day's walk, her trail suddenly stopped. Sting cursed, she must have been far away enough to calm down at that point. The final spot was a torn up bit of moss at the end of the clearing, then nothing.

He stopped and stood with his hands on his hips, trying to put himself on her shoes. In the beginning she had run blinded by fear but now she would probably head somewhere familiar, back towards her home if she had one. Since she had returned to Sabertooth's commune multiple times now she had to have some kind of shelter close by, there was no way she could survive the winter without one.

He knew they were getting to the edge of Jiemma's property and the safety it provided. West would put him back towards Jiemma's house and another day or two east he would be in Titan nose territory so she wouldn't want to be too far in either of those directions. So it would be either north and south. South was those idiots with Pegasus. They would have sniffed her out long ago and offered aid immediately. It was almost sad really, just a few days south she would have had a warm bed and a troupe of playboys to cater to her every need.

So north, she had to be north. There were less people north, and the few remaining members of Sabertooth did less patrols that way, they had the least trouble from up there. North was just trees and animals these days. He was sure there had been some kind of old hunting spot from the previous owners up that way. When they were young, Jiemma had kicked all the youngings out for a week so that they could learn to survive in the elements. Rogue and Sting had been lucky enough to find the cabin. Other kids hadn't been so lucky, they had lost quite a few of their numbers that week, but it was as Jiemma said, only the strongest could be part of Sabertooth.

At least if she wasn't that way he would have a place to be warm for the night. He looked up at the sky with a sound of frustration, darkness was already taking over the grey sky. Sting didn't have long to make camp. He would have to do it here in the clearing. With a sigh he dropped his pack and set out into the woods to find something to burn. It was going to be a long cold night.


	3. Music

Yukino chewed on her chapped bottom lip as she checked her last snare. Six traps and she had managed to catch a stick. She had really hoped the traps she hastily set last night while searching for wood would give some kind of good news. She almost cried from disappointment, but at this point she didn't think she had any more tears to cry.

Yukino adjusted the snare with a deep sigh. Maybe by some stroke of luck they would catch something by nightfall, but if the prey wasn't coming to her, she would have to go find it herself. It was so cold and going out hunting would expend so much energy, but she had to try while she still had the energy to burn.

She trudged back to the cabin to retrieve her bow. Polaris trotted along beside her, his ears perked and searching. He seemed on edge today, either he was still out of sorts from their meeting with the man back at the big house or the storm on its way must be a doozy. The way he panted heavily and checked their surroundings made it feel as if there were more than just shadows watching them. He was beginning to make her feel anxious as well.

The house felt warm and cozy. Yukino spared a glance at her bed, how she longed to just lay there. Was this how people felt when they were ready to give up, ready to die? How long would she have to lay there before hunger wore her down and her body drew its last breath? Why was she still struggling anyway? She shook her head trying to free herself from her defeatist musings. Sorano would hate that kind of talk, her sister would have slapped her for it.

Yukino picked up her bow and her stomach gurgled. She glanced back at the bed again. Breakfast had been a soup that was just a starchy, bone broth made from an eighth of a potato and a few bones that she had already boiled once before. It was not filling and it probably hadn't given her the nutrition her body needed to make it through a hard day of trudging through the woods, but she couldn't afford to eat anymore. She might end up trapped in her house for week with only the supplies she had, she didn't want to risk taking too much. The bed looked so nice, so nice and warm.

She wiped a tear that had escaped her eye and turned to Polaris with a big smile. "Come on boy, find me something good." Then she followed him out into the cold air. Flurries started to fall from the grey sky, a delicate flake landing on the tip of her nose. Yukino brushed it away and set her jaw in determination. She was going to find dinner. She would not let mother nature beat her.

* * *

Sting was so tired from hiking that he almost missed the thin trail of dark smoke that dissipated into the afternoon sky, but when his eyes did find it, he just stood there and stared, a slow grin pulling at the sides of his lips. He wanted to shout with joy, this was almost too easy. How had this girl survived so long?

He crept up to the house and peered through the single, thick-paned window. The girl had been nowhere along his path to the cabin and there was no sign of her inside, so he went around the front and slipped in quietly through the front door. One wall was packed with roughly chopped irregularly shaped pieces of wood similar to what had found outside along the side of the house, she was preparing for a long time in.

The stove in the middle of the room was lit and producing a low, steady stream of heat, banked to make it through the day. It made sense to keep it running when the cold was like this, it took a lot less energy to keep it going that to restart it time and time again. She would have to be back soon, the stove had a few hours left with what was inside.

Other signs of life were sparsh. There was an old sleeping bag and a few blankets up in the low loft area. One of the cabinets had a small bag with a few personal items in it; a book, a pretty shawl, a ragged flower barrette, and a weird piece of wood with thin, metal strips attached to the top. He pulled out the piece of wood and frowned down at it, he had never seen anything like it. When he ran his thumb over one of the metal tines it made a soft sound similar to a bell.

Sting smiled, he pressed more of the tines and they all had different pitches. He would take this, the guys would love it. Jiemma didn't like a lot of music. He said making music was for drug addicts and sissies, though Sting had caught him humming a tune to himself from time to time. In an effort to appease him, music was rare and quiet. Just a whistle while chopping wood, sometimes singing by the fire when they were out on overnight hunting trips, but always more muffled than they would have liked. This instrument he could probably even get away with playing in his room. He wondered if he could teach himself to play the thing.

This brought to mind what needed to be done to get the instrument and it settled uncomfortably in his stomach like a rock. Sting still didn't want to do it, but he hadn't been able to come up with anyway around it. Jiemma finding this girl to be a threat was ridiculous. Sting hadn't found a single weapon, just a small axe and saw by the wood pile, both of which he was sure had been there when he had last visited the cabin.

He put the instrument back in the bag and returned the bag just as he had found it. Another cabinet held a few potatoes and a few small cans of beans, hardly enough to make it through the winter. It just didn't make sense, winter would probably kill this girl on its own. Jiemma must be out of his damn mind. Sting ran a hand through his hair and breathed deep. He had to do this, he had to do this for Lector.

One thing was clear, the girl wasn't here. Sting had a choice, he could wait for her here, or he could lay in wait and take her out from a distance. He definitely had an easier time stomaching the idea of handling it from a distance. From a distance maybe he could pretend she was someone else; one of those idiots from Titan Nose or Abyss Horn, or even a deer or a bear. Anything was better than a starving girl trying to survive out here in the cold.

Sting hit himself in the chest to snap himself out of it. She was weak, he was strong. This was the real world, only the strong will survive. She stole from Sabertooth, she stole from him. He was just doling out the master's justice, he was doing his job! He hefted his bag back on his shoulder and picked up his rifle. He knew exactly where to wait.

The old tree stand was over five hundred yards away from the house. It was risky, it would be a hard shot, but it gave him wind cover and a bird's eye view. He pulled an old pair of binoculars out of his pack and smiled slightly at the sight of them. They were the only thing he had left of his father's and he was always sure to keep them close. As he lifted them to his face he wondered what his dad would think of him today, watching some girl and hunting her down like some wanted criminal. Really he didn't need to wonder, he could practically feel the old man's disapproving scowl from heaven, but that was the point, his father wasn't here. Sting was alone and had to do what was necessary to keep going on.

Sting searched the area for over an hour and found only silent trees and a frozen lake. It was nice not to have chores to complete and to not have to worry about offending Jiemma, but it made him miss the guys. They probably had finished their midday meal and were back at it, chopping wood to get through the winter. He bet that just because he was gone, Minerva made something special, just to make the others brag about it when he got back. She always seemed to be starting shit like that, just to amuse herself. Sting angrily tore off a piece jerky and shoved it in his mouth. He didn't need her stinking fancy meals anyway.

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned quickly to catch her in the binoculars. She moved swiftly through the woods, more animal than human. It was so fascinating to watch the graceful way she ducked under branches and stepped over logs that Sting almost forgot why he was watching her in the first place. There was a bow in her hand and a quiver with a few arrows in it on her back. Maybe she was more dangerous than he gave her credit for. Sting wished he could see her face, but, like before, the only thing visible was her eyes.

She started getting closer to the house and Sting realized he might miss his chance. He picked up the rifle and sighted her in, then allowed himself to get lost in her dance again. Just a couple hundred feet from the house, she looked at the dog and froze. She stood, pulled an arrow from the quiver and nocked it, then nodded to the dog. The dog went into the bushes and flushed a rabbit out in the direction of the girl. She made a well placed shot, but at the last second the rabbit dodged out of the way and the girl missed. The rabbit was gone before the girl could get in another shot.

"Lucky rabbit," Sting chuckled to himself.

The girl however, was not amused, even from this distance her despair was clear. She fell to her knees and shouted a curse at the sky. She pulled the scarf from her face and panted, her hands pulling at hair the color of the snow. Then she sat back and she started to cry. The dog attempted to comfort her but was ignored, the girl just curled into herself.

Sting should do it now. She was down there, ripe for the taking, and only about three hundred meters away. She was a loser, a weakling, everything he had been taught to despise, but he couldn't do it. Sting wasn't ready, he didn't know when he would be, but he knew it wasn't now. He turned on the safety and set down then gun. Then he picked back up the binoculars. For today at least, he'd rather watch her with his father's eyes than with Jiemma's.

* * *

Yukino trudged back to the house. Hunting had been unsuccessful. Flurries had been falling on and off all day. Polaris kept acting odd and skittish. Everything was a bad sign, everything screamed give up.

At least the stove was still going strong. She added a few more logs and stoked the fire. Then she turned to Polaris with as wide a smile as she could muster. "Let's have beans tonight!"

Polaris hopped around and barked. Yukino smiled at his excitement but when she took the can out of the cabinet she thought how sad it was to have a dog who was excited about a can of beans. She wished she was better at anticipating an animal's moves. She wished she could feed Polaris the food he deserved.

She cooked the beans in a small pot over the stove and then set the hot pot on a flat piece of wood to keep it from burning the floor. She ate it one bean at a time, pulling one for her and then one for the dog. After her long day, the beans were heaven. It felt as good as when she used to get ice cream as a little girl.

When they were finished, Yukino drank the bean water and gave a little to the dog. Then she stood and dusted herself off and headed to the cabinet. For some reason it felt off, like something was out of place, so she quickly opened her bag and made sure everything was there. Yukino frowned down at it and shook off a chill. Nothing was missing, everything was fine. The cold must be getting to her.

Polaris started barking at the window. Worried about what she might find, Yukino ran over to look, but there was nothing out in the pale moonlight. Polaris ran in frantic circles around her, trying to communicate with little whimpers. Yukino felt on edge, she didn't want to go check what was outside. She settled for denial instead and barred the door. Then she said cheerfully, "It's okay baby, we'll make it through this storm. How about I play some music?"

Yukino went over to her bag and pulled out the thumb piano. Of all her instruments, it was the only one that had survived. On days like today it felt like her lifeline. She sat down crossed-legged in front of the fire. Polaris relaxed enough to sit with his back against her but he remained watching the window vigilantly. Yukino stroked the fur on his back the put both hands on the sides of the small instrument.

Then she sang in her soft, sweet voice, "you are my sunshine. . ."

* * *

Sting nearly had a heart attack when the dog started going nuts. How could he forget about the goddamn dog! He pulled in tight against the wall beneath the window, his heart doing its best to beat its way out of his chest. He heard her lean up against the the window pane. It was sweet relief when she drifted away to soothe the dog, her voice soothing Sting as well. When she began to sing, it was like he was in a dream. Sting could understand now how sailors could crash ships just to get near a voice.

He sat there for a long time listening to the gentle bell like tone of her instrument and the simple sweetness of her soprano before working up the courage to peek through the window. The girl sat crossed legged by the fire, her focus on the music she was making with her hands. The dog was finally relaxed, sleeping on the floor by her side.

The girl had stripped off most of the rags that covered her body before. She was small and angular in a way people were when they weren't getting enough to eat, but even so, she was so pretty, with delicate features, big brown eyes, and hair the color of a cloudless winter sky. The warm light of the wood stove made her appear soft, Sting wondered what her skin would feel like beneath his fingertips.

When she finished the next song, she set down the instrument and Sting dropped quickly back into his place beneath the window. He could hear her reload and shut the door to her stove. Then she padded past the window and he heard the creak of the little steps up to the loft, the click of the dog's toenails following close behind. He guessed that meant the music was done for the night.

He needed to go rest himself. It was going to be a cold night, flurries were starting to turn into actual snow. Sting had set up camp before coming. He had a small fire and a tarp set up with a sleeping bag full of emergency blankets waiting for him about a mile away. He had just felt the urge to see her. He wanted to know what she was like, to catch a glimpse of her up close.

Now he knew he was screwed. He should have taken the shot earlier today, back before he had let her become a person. He found himself desperately trying to think of a way to get proof of death without hurting her. A lock of hair? Animal blood on one of the rags? Sting was sure Jiemma had meant body part, as gruesome as the thought was, but he hadn't been clear and Sting had always been good at stretching Jiemma's words in a way that best suited him.

The problem was he didn't want to leave her here either. He wanted to bring the girl back with him to Sabertooth. He wanted to see what she would look like after a month of decent meals and a safe place to sleep. He wanted Rogue, Lector, and Frosh to hear her sing. She had clearly shown she had skills to survive. She knew how to move fluidly through the woods and how to hunt. She knew how to fight and how to start a fire. She could cook on a wood stove and clean an animal. She obviously would be a great addition to the group, would Jiemma really stay true to his word and hurt her?

The small house was quiet. Sting peered in the window one last time, the girl and her dog slept, curled up with one another. Sting smiled sadly then started out into the night towards where he had set up camp. Maybe by morning he could think of a solution.


	4. Chapter 4

When Sting woke, his face was freezing. Though he had tightened the sleeping bag and wrapped his face, the chill from the air snuck in with each breath and disturbed the peace of his rest. It had snowed quite a bit overnight. His tarps had kept the brunt of the wind off of him but they weren't enough to help his fire which had died to pathetic embers.

Sting opened his bag just enough to sit up and fish the water bottle out from under his jacket. He frowned at the sky and the thick flakes that fell from it. He wasn't going to be able to get back in time to beat the blizzard. It was a real shame, Rogue and Lector were going to worry,

Sting hated to make them worry.

He ate a piece of jerky and then stood and began folding up the tarps. Whether the girl liked it or not Sting needed to stay in the cabin, he was just out of time. He found himself practicing in his head how he would approach it. Would he ask, would he threaten, would he sweet talk? He hoped he could convince her to sing, he wanted to hear the music once more.

* * *

Yukino fought a shiver as she checked the fifth trap. Snow was starting to fall heavily from the sky and the winds were picking up. Soon it would be too much to be outside in.

Yukino had hoped her luck would change this morning but so far she had caught nothing but thin air. She had brought her bow as well this morning in thinking maybe Polaris might find something along the way. After nearly an hour of nothing but snow, she wondered if the extra weight had been worth it

She stood slowly and stared out over the lake. It was so still and white, so beautiful. Sorano would have liked this place. Her sister would have said it was like living in the clouds of heaven. Her sister always loved the snow, even when it was a threat. She would say it was dangerous and beautiful just like her.

Yukino noticed movement from the corner of her eye. A deer, small and somewhat frail, stared at her through large, glassy eyes. Yukino could hear her heart roar in her ears, screaming this is it, this is the moment, this is life or death.

She turned ever so slightly and adjusted her bow in her hand. Like dancing in slow motion she swept her hand upwards to pull an arrow from her back. Somehow she managed to nock it without the deer realizing the danger. There must not be many humans up this way. The deer relaxed and turned its head, looking back over the water.

With a silent prayer, Yukino released the arrow and cried with joy when she had a perfect hit. The deer instinctively took off, stumbling right in the direction of the frozen lake. Yukino sprinted after it, "Polaris, grab it! Don't let it get too far away!"

She wasn't thinking about where she was stepping, she wasn't worried about the ice or the snow or the cold. All she could think about was the real food that was tumbling away. She hurried after it over the icy surface. When it finally collapsed, it had made it nearly halfway across the lake. Yukino stopped next to it, holding her knees and panting to catch her breath. Polaris barked excitedly next to her, then jumped up to lick her face. Yukino hugged him tightly around the neck. "We did it boy, we did it!"

She whooped in the air in triumph then she grabbed the deer by the legs and began dragging her prize home. All she could think about was that she would have real food in her stomach. An actual meal was so close. She was so excited she could laugh.

She was almost to the edge of the lake when she lost her footing and stumbled backwards. She fell hard on her backside, a stabbing sensation shooting up her back. Yukino groaned at the sky. It took her a moment of breathing through the pain before she managed to pull herself back to her feet.

She laughed nervously at a nervous Polaris. "Whoops, clumsy me!" Polaris didn't seem convinced that she was okay.

Yukino shook it off then reached down to pull hard on the deer's legs. With a grunt she managed to start its gliding in the snow again, walking backwards towards the shoreline. Unfortunately, she only made in a few steps before there was a cracking sound and her leg disappeared up to the knee into the freezing water below the ice.

Yukino's eyes went wide. "Shit, shit, shit!". She pulled her leg out quickly. She had to get back to the cabin and out of these clothes immediately. She frowned down at the deer, she couldn't leave it here, something might take it, or with the way the snow was coming down she might lose it.

She took a fortifying breath and pulled with all her might, hurrying to the cabin as fast as she could. She wasn't going to die, she wasn't going to let this get her, she just had to keep moving. Polaris ran beside her, frantically checking the surroundings as they raced along. He still made her nervous, Yukino hoped that frostbite was all still she had to worry about.

By the time Yukino made it back to the cabin, her entire body was shaking. She could barely keep her hands still enough to open the front door. The deer was forgotten and left on the front porch as she stumbled into the house and slammed the door behind her. She needed to get her wet pants off but she couldn't control her hands for long enough to unwrap her fingers. She started to tear up in frustration, her fingers just weren't listening.

Yukino fell to a sit in front of the fire and continued to clumsily tug at her hand wraps until the motion didn't make sense anymore. Why was she trying to take these off? Why was she shaking? Polaris kept frantically licking her face but she just shoved him away and slurred, "Polaris stop, just stop okay."

The door flew open and Polaris barked loudly. Yukino's head pounded with the sharp sound. "Polaris stop," she whined, grabbing her head. She rolled towards the door and found a man in the doorway, at least she assumed it was a man, he was so tightly bundled up it was hard to tell. Polaris lay next to her and growled, the low rumble that echoed through Yukino's back.

The man removed his hood and pulled off his face mask and Yukino knew she had to be hallucinating now. How cruel of her mind to show her the man she felt betrayed by right before she died. Yukino laughed and pointed at him, "You were supposed to be the nice one, but you're not. You're a terrible person."

The man furrowed his brow and glanced warily around the cabin then back to her. "What the hell is the matter with you?" he asked.

"Like you care," she sighed through chattering teeth. Yukino rolled back towards the fire. She heard a loud thump as his bag hit the floor. His boots stomped towards her, the weight of his steps making the floors creak. As he came closer, Polaris growled louder. Yukino hugged the dog tightly and said into its fur, "Stop Polaris, it doesn't matter anymore."

She sensed when the man stopped next to her. She lolled her head back to look up at him. He seemed confused. He looked down at her leg and his eyes widened. "Why are you wet?"

Yukino sighed and closed her eyes. She was just so tired, she wished the shaking would stop so that she could just go to sleep. "Lake," she whispered.

"What the hell are you doing keeping those clothes on? Are you crazy?" he exclaimed. Yukino could feel him begin to tug at the wraps around her boots. He made a tsking sound when he finally freed her leg. "These boots are way too big for you, how do you move like you do?"

Yukino thought of Sorano. She always said not to trust men, she always said men like their father were extinct. Now here Yukino was unable to fight back this random man tore off her shoes and started frantically pulling at her pants. "Just like the rest of them, trying to take advantage of me when I'm at death's doorstep," Yukino thought out loud with a sigh.

The man looked at her like she was crazy. "Are you fucking serious right now? You have hypothermia you dillweed, I'm trying to get your wet clothes off so you don't die!"

Yukino laughed, "Now I know I'm hallucinating. Like Bingley from the big house would want to keep me alive."

"Bingley?" On freeing her from her wet pants, the man disappeared and returned quickly with her sleeping bag and blankets.

"Yes, because you're always happy and laughing," Yukino frowned through her shivers, "but you wanted to take my fingers."

"Threatened to, I didn't actually want to take them." He tucked her blankets tightly around her and frowned, "These are terrible, but they'll have to do until I can get mine unpacked. And it's Sting, you can call me Sting."

Yukino's eyelids started to grow heavy. "Sting? That's a silly name, are you a bee?"

She could hear him snort, "Yes, I suppose Bingley is _much_ better." He returned with his sleeping bag. He opened up then lifted her into it. "Damn you're light," he whispered as he set her down and tucked some of her blankets around her.

He zipped her in and moved her close to the woodstove then he went to grab more wood from the pile. Yukino heard him load to stove but she couldn't watch him anymore. She was just too tired to keep her eyes open.

"Oh shit, you're falling asleep. Am I supposed to let you fall asleep?" She heard Sting fuss. Next thing she knew he was shaking her, "Girl? Girl?"

"Not girl, Yukino," Yukino moaned.

"Alright, Yukino. Don't fall asleep yet. Tell me more . . .how about this Bingley what's his story? Is he badass does he kill things?"

Yukino licked her lips, she was so tired she was having trouble grasping memories of the story. She was still shivering but at least she was warm, if maybe a little too warm. It felt like there were too many blanket but she didn't have the strength to free her arms.

"Yukino?"

"Huh?" Yukino scrunched up her face. "No, he doesn't kill anyone. He's just rich and dances at parties." She smiled slightly thinking her sister probably would have prefered a story where Bingley did.

She heard Sting make a snort again. "Fantastic, you think I'm some kind of sissy."

"No, no," she sighed. The world was drifting away when she said, "You never were a Bingley, you're a villain, you're a Wickham."

* * *

Sting tried to rouse Yukino again but she was asleep and dead to the world. She seemed warm enough. She was still shivering a bit but her lips looked less blue and her coloring slightly more pink. He guessed it made sense that she should sleep, it made her body do less work after all. He was probably thinking of head injuries. He wished Rogue was here, Rogue would have known what to do.

The dog still eyed him warily and curled up tightly against its master, but it hadn't barked or growled since Yukino told it to be quiet. Sting nodded at it, that was a good dog.

Sting fidgeted with his hands. He didn't like sitting here, it felt weird watching her sleep. It felt weird to worry so much about someone he was supposed to want dead. He stood and set out to deal with the dead deer on the front porch. He needed to get out of the tiny house while he still could and with the way that snow was coming down they were going to need it. They would probably be stuck in here for a while.

* * *

When Sting returned he was shocked to find Yukino had found her way out of the sleeping bag, blankets, and most of her clothes. The only things keeping her warm were Polaris at her back and the fire in the stove. Sting rushed over and shook her, "Yukino, why are you out of the bag? What the hell are you doing?"

She didn't respond and her skin felt cold. Polaris started to growl, but then he whimpered and licked Sting's hand, even the dog was worried. Sting could barely tell she was breathing and her pulse felt weak. He stood up straight and ran a hand through his hair. He was going to lose her. Sting knew he was supposed to want that but it just didn't sit well with him. This girl didn't deserve to die.

He frantically reopened the sleeping bag and set her back in it. Then he proceeded to strip off his own clothes except for his underwear and he crawled in next to her. He zipped up most of the bag and pulled all the extra blankets on top of them before zipping the bag all the way.

Sting pulled Yukino close. She was so tiny, so thin. It was no wonder her body couldn't fight off the chill. He felt like an idiot, he should have been watching her, he never should have left her alone. Jiemma had always told them that hypothermia would make a person act like a fool, Sting just hadn't realized how much.

He still didn't know what to think about her strange comments, she had seemed drunk when he arrived. Here he had been expecting a fight and instead he got some rambling about some girly book she liked. He wondered if it was the story in her bag, he wasn't very good at reading himself, so he had no clue what the title had been. He found himself hoping it was something else, something cool and with dragons, and that she would wake so she could read it to him. It had been so long since he had a new story.

Sting shifted to make himself comfortable while wrapping himself around Yukino to get as much body contact as possible. Polaris laid down on the other side of Yukino and rested his head. If this didn't work, Sting was out of options. He didn't know any other way to fight her dropping temperature. It seemed to help, her breathing became less shallow, her skin felt a little warmer, and her coloring not quite as pale. Sting tried to watch her for as long as he could, but eventually he too gave into the pull of exhaustion, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.


	5. Chill

In Yukino's dreams, Sorano held her close. She whispered, "One day sister we won't have to survive anymore, one day sister we will be able to just live." Yukino thought how nice it was to not be cold. How nice it was to have human contact again. It had been a long two years. Polaris tried but it was never the same.

She snuggled in closer but something felt wrong. It didn't smell like Sorano, it didn't feel like Sorano. The skin was warm but it felt thicker somehow and under was hard muscle where it should have been soft. Yukino furrowed her brow then opened one eye. She blinked hard, the sight in front of her made her think that maybe she was still dreaming. There was no way that she was wrapped up tight in a sleeping bag with a man, a naked man no-less.

Yukino covered her mouth to hold in a startled scream and with wide eyes looked up at his face. It was the blond man, the blond man from the big house. The blond man who had grabbed her, and threatened her, and scared her. She needed to get away. Yukino lowered her eyes to his chest and experimented with slow movements, but there seemed to be no way to free herself from his hold.

When she looked back up, to her horror he was watching her. A small smile pulled at his lips. "Morn . . ." he started but his greeting was cut off by grunts of pain. Fear had taken over, causing Yukino to climb out of the bag like a ferret escaping a hole, clawing her way past him without of thought of where her bony joints hit him. In a panic, she scurried over to the corner of the cabin farthest away from him, and curled in a ball. She covered her face and rocked slightly, they were in this small space there was nowhere to go. What was she going to do?

"What the hell Yukino? Did you have to kick me in the face?" he shouted. He rolled onto his back, clutching his nose.

"How do you know my name?" she hissed. She felt Polaris plop on the ground next to her but he didn't make a sound. Why didn't he bark? Yukino opened her fingers slightly to watch the man through the small gaps. He sat up with a groan and rubbed his face.

He looked at her through squinted eyes. "Do you not remember yesterday at all?"

"Yesterday?" Yukino curled in more tightly to herself. She struggled to remember anything about the day before. How could she forget him coming? How could she forget being naked? Her vulnerability terrified her.

"What did you do to me?" she cried. Yukino felt awful, her leg throbbed, her head hurt, her mouth felt like sandpaper. Yet despite her dehydration, her eyes started to tear. She rubbed her eyes roughly, Sorano always said she cried too easily.

"You had hypothermia, your leg, it was all wet?" He looked away and scratched his head. "Look, do you have other clothes you could put on? I just can't talk to you like this."

"No I don't. Just give me mine back and I'll put them on," Yukino sniffled.

"Of course she doesn't have any other clothes," he grumbled to himself. He crawled out of the sleeping bag and pulled on a pair of pants. He walked over to his bag and opened it. "You can't wear your clothes Yukino, they probably still aren't fully dry. I forgot to hang them up they're still in a heap on the floor. I have an extra set though, they will be huge on you but we can make 'em work."

Yukino watched him bend over. He didn't look anything like Sorano. How could she have been so silly as to confuse the two? His back was all corded muscles and smooth skin. He looked well-fed, he looked good. She looked down at her own body and frowned. She was all angles and chapped skin. The toes on her right foot were purple. She experimented with wiggling her toes but they didn't seem to respond, there was only a burning sensation.

"Here," he said. The shirt and pants dropping on the floor next to her drew her out of her musings. She reached out for the shirt while eyeing him warily. He didn't look at her, he walked over to the wood pile and set about feeding the fire in the stove. She pulled the shirt over her head quickly. It was large but so soft, she felt quite cozy in it. Yukino went to try and put the pants on but her foot screamed in protest when she tried to push it through the pant leg. Yukino cried out at the unexpected pain and Sting's head snapped to her.

He was by her side quickly. "What happened?" he asked as he knelt, looking over her to find a wound.

She didn't answer, just watched him. He was too close. He didn't seem to notice, instead he frowned down at her foot and prodded it gently. "Frostbite . . .I was worried about that. You must have been far from the house when you got wet." He looked up at her and she was transfixed by the deep blue of his eyes. He seemed unaffected. "It's good that it hurts, it's probably gonna hurt quite a bit but at least that means you'll keep your toes. We need to get you over by the fire again. I guess don't worry about the pants for now, we'll just wrap you up in blankets."

"What is your name?" Yukino asked quietly.

"You really don't remember anything about yesterday do you?" He chuckled lightly and gave her a lopsided grin. Yukino blushed and looked away, he was still much to close. "It's Sting." He stood and stretched his arms over his head making the muscles in his chest and stomach flex and pull in the most distracting ways. "But you were calling me something else. I can't remember it exactly now . . ." he paused and scratched his head.

Yukino gasped and covered her mouth. She hadn't. She couldn't think of anything more embarrassing than calling him that name. It was the only book she had managed to grab when she had to leave their old home four years ago. She had read it so many times that the pages were bent and smudged and the spine was cracked and creased. When she found that big house it had seemed like a fairy tale. The bright and happy man and his dark and sullen friend. She dreamed she would be like Jane and he would fall madly in love with her on sight. That he would take her into his big house and save her from this life of struggle. Instead he had manhandled her and threatened her. The thought made her angry.

"Why are you here?" she snapped.

"Why are you so cranky?" he asked. "Would you have preferred that I left you here to die of hypothermia? I should be asking why _you're_ here. This is technically the old man's cabin you know. Sabertooth's land goes another few miles north of this."

Yukino just stared at him unable to believe the words that came out of his mouth. Her safe place, her home; of course it had just been a facade all along. She probably led him right to her.

Sting rolled his eyes and without asking permission put an arm under her legs and an arm around her back, then lifted. Yukino cried out and clung tightly to his neck, "What are you doing!" She shrieked.

Sting just laughed, "Moving you over to the blankets so you can keep that foot warm."

"I can walk you know!"

Sting shrugged "Maybe, but it'll hurt like a bitch." He set her down in the sleeping bag she had just scampered out of and covered her legs with a blanket. "You just stay here and try and let that foot thaw out, I'll see if I can get us some food."

Yukino's hands flew to her mouth, "Oh no, the deer."

"What about it?" Sting asked. He tucked the blankets around her legs with a teasing grin on his lips.

"I killed a deer and then I just left it to freeze on the front porch. If something hasn't gotten into it already, it will be dreadfully difficult to clean now that it's frozen solid," she explained. She looked out at the window and grimaced, "it's probably completely covered in snow."

Sting stood, "Don't worry, I dealt with it. It's just in the icebox out front. I might have to dig a little though. . ."

"You dealt with it?" Yukino asked.

Sting's cheeks tinged pink and he scratched the back of his head. "Yea, well, I probably shouldn't have. I left you alone and the dog wasn't exactly the babysitter you needed. When I got back you were half dead and had taken off most of your clothes. I just. . . I just hadn't realized how sick you were."

Yukino paled, "Oh dear, I really was in a bad way." Yukino frowned down at the massive shirt and the blankets covering her throbbing foot. She didn't want to think about what would have happened if Sting hadn't shown up when he did. Here she was accusing him of doing something awful and he had saved her life. "Thank you," she said quietly, shifting her gaze up to look him in the eye.

Sting's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh?"

Yukino swallowed and attempted a smile, "Thank you for taking care of me. I know you didn't have to."

Sting shrugged, "Yea, no problem. I wasn't gonna just leave you there." He stepped into his boots and threw on his jacket without bothering to find his shirt. "I'm just going to get some meat and make a . . ." he grabbed her pot from beside the stove, "make a stew, I'll get some more water too." Then before she could say another word he had stepped out into the cold.

Polaris lay his head in her lap and Yukino began stroking his ears absentmindedly while she stared thoughtfully at the closed woodstove. Her foot put her in a bad way, if she needed to escape she would have an extremely hard time, but the fear had drained out of her. Sorano always warned her not to be too trusting of strangers, but in this case Yukino didn't really have any options. She was giving up, she hoped Sting wouldn't make her regret it.

* * *

Sting took deep breaths as he slammed the door behind him and pushed his way into waist high snow. He cursed himself for not grabbing his spade on the way out, now he would have to use his arms to clear off the ice box. Some snow had found its way under his coat, tingling the bare skin beneath in his haste to get away. He wasn't thinking straight, hell he couldn't think straight when she looked at him like that with that gentle expression free of wariness and malice. He was glad for this brief reprieve to cool his head.

Sting could have just let her limp her way back to the blankets but he had wanted to touch her again. Holding her close all night had felt so right, so comfortable, that now being separated again almost hurt. He wanted to touch her skin and smell her hair and so many other things he didn't understand. He knew he couldn't, there was no way she'd allow it. His face was still sore, reminding him just how she felt about waking up to him that close. It was going to be extremely difficult to be in such close quarters with her.

He pulled his gloves out of his pocket and put them on. The sting of the cold had brought him some relief at first but now it was growing unbearable. He needed to get meat out of the ice box and get to work on making it edible before his body became too cold. Leaving without his shirt had been stupid.

He found himself smiling to himself as he pushed the snow off the top of the freezer and lifted the lid. For some reason he felt proud of her for this, she was strong, she had taken this down all by herself. He wished he could have seen it, it clearly had been a perfect shot.

Before bringing the food back in, Sting took one more deep breath. He found the pot where he had dropped it in the snow and made sure it was full. When he opened the door, Yukino turned to look up at him. Though she wasn't smiling, her face was relaxed, her expression curious. Sting couldn't help but smile. He held up the piece of meat and asked, "Hungry?"

Her smile was like sunshine, Sting grinned wider. "You looked surprised. Did you think I was lying?" he teased.

Yukino shook her head. "Oh no, it's just . . ." she smiled shyly, "the memory is so foggy, it almost felt like I never made the shot."

When Sting set down the things in his hands to drop his coat on the floor, he noticed Yukino looked away. She seemed like she was blushing. Sting watched her carefully as he kicked off his shoes. Was he just seeing what he wanted to see or could she really be as affected by him as he was by her? Sting couldn't tell, he had no other experience to draw from.

He passed by her hoping she might look up again but she concentrated on the sleeve of his shirt that she was wearing. He set the pot on the stove and watched the snow melt quickly from the fire's heat. When Sting turned, Yukino was watching him again. Sting couldn't help but grin like an idiot. Maybe being trapped in this small space with a pretty girl wasn't such a bad thing afterall.


	6. Secret Spaces

Yukino finished her second bowl of what was basically just boiled meat with such enthusiasm that Sting completely forgot about the bowl in front of him. Jiemma had always told him he didn't know what real hunger was, only now did Sting realize how right the old man had been. All this time Sabertooth had been watching over him and he had just thought he was getting by on toughness alone.

Yukino licked what remained in her bowl then cut her eyes to his. "Are you going to finish yours?" she asked hopefully.

Sting looked down at what was left. He could definitely eat more, but the meal was so bland that he found himself taking his time. He smiled and held it out to her. "I've had enough. Do you want it?"

The smile that lit up her face was definitely worth it. She snatched it from his hands and ate ravenously, finishing what was left in seconds.

Sting laughed. "Careful or you're going to choke," he teased.

Yukino looked up at him with wide eyes and her cheeks turned bright red. "Oh dear, I must look like some kind of wild animal." She shifted her eyes to the empty bowl in her lap. "It was just so good."

He laughed, "Trust me I don't mind." At least she still had better manners than Orga. The man never missed a meal yet he still ate as if someone was going to steal it from him. "How long has it been since you caught something?"

Yukino froze mid bowl lick. "Huh?"

"How long has it been since you caught anything?" Sting repeated.

Yukino set the bowl aside and stretched her arms out in front of her. "I don't know, I think a couple weeks? There's just so few animals out now." She paused to let loose a large yawn. Yukino laid down and pulled the sleeping back up around herself tight so that all he could see was her face. "It was only a little squirrel it didn't last long." She yawned again. "It will be easier when spring is back again." She closed her eyes and her breathing grew long and deep. Polaris curled up tightly against her back and rested his head on his paws.

Sting stared at her completely flummoxed. Had she really just fallen asleep mid conversation? He supposed that she still needed rest for her body to recover but he found himself slightly irritated. Now he'd have to wait for her to wake before he found out anything else about her and the idea made him crazy. How could she not be as excited as he was? She had been on her own for who knows how long, she didn't have one question?

He grabbed one of the blankets and roughly bunched it up into a pillow so that he could lay next to her. "Hey Yukino, how long were you watching us?" he whispered.

She didn't make a sound, just sighed in her sleep. Polaris lifted his head and gave Sting a look that seemed to say 'you've gotta be kidding me.'

Sting crossed his arms and scowled up at the ceiling. He grumbled, "okay, okay, I'll wait," but not a minute later he found he could stand the silence any longer. He stood and took the time to dress properly and find his shovel. Snow was still coming down and eventually they might have to break into the stack of wood on the side of the house. If he started working on a path, it might mean less shoveling when they needed it. At least if he was digging he wouldn't be tempted to wake Yukino anymore.

* * *

Yukino woke with a feeling of complete contentment. She was warm and cozy and her belly was full, she couldn't remember a time that she felt so good. There was no urgency, no anxiety, nothing that needed to be done. She just had to lay there and enjoy the crackle of the fire in the stove. It made her wish she had some paper, it had been such a long time since she was able to draw. Maybe when the fire was a little lower she could have Sting pull a few burnt pieces of charcoal out of the oven. She could draw on the walls or the floor.

She furrowed her brow, now that she thought of him, she didn't know where he was. For a moment she wondered if she had made him up. It wouldn't have been the first time loneliness had made the imaginary world and the real one begin to blend, but then she looked at the sleeping bag she was wrapped in, the sleeping bag that was definitely not hers. He had to be around somewhere.

She unzipped the bag and stood, frowning down at the ache in her now red and angry looking toes. The pinky toe didn't look very good, it was purple and swollen and she couldn't move it. She hoped she wouldn't have to lose it, the thought made her sick.

Yukino crossed the cabin and picked up the pair of pants that Sting had left for her. It was easier to pull them on now, as long as she was careful around her tender foot. They were slightly too big but in so much better shape than her own. When they were on she sighed happily, they were so warm and cozy. Would he let her keep them when he left?

She heard the sound of snow crunching outside and she stared at the door quizzically. What in the world could Sting be doing out there? She padded over to the door and opened it slightly so that she could see through the crack. The entire front porch was cleared with a tightly packed wall of snow beginning just at the edge. She peeked out farther and the wall of snow appeared to continue around the corner of the cabin. Polaris pushed his way out past her to relieve himself at the edge of the porch and Sting's head appeared from around the corner.

He grinned wide, "Oh, you're up!"

"What are you doing out here?"

"Well I thought this way we'd have better access to the ice box and the extra supply of wood." He looked at his wall and scratched his head. "Though I can't completely stop up the flow of snow so I might have to come back out and clean up a bit."

"This must have taken forever," she said with a shiver.

"You were asleep for quite a while." He turned back to her and frowned. "What are you doing? You shouldn't be out here without a coat or your shoes are you nuts?"

Yukino slammed the door and took a step back. Did that mean he was mad at her. She wanted to see all of his wall. She turned and looked for her jacket then she frowned down at her feet, her shoes were slightly too big for her but she wasn't sure that her swollen toes would go in them well. She wanted to go outside, but she couldn't put on the things necessary to go. She was going to be trapped in her forever.

The door opened and closed behind her, bringing with it a gentle but frigid breeze. Her body shook. Sting stood next to her, his face was smiling again as he removed his shoes and jacket. "I hope you weren't up on your own for a while. Are you thirsty? I could go get some more snow to melt."

He looked at her face and his smile dropped, "What's wrong?"

"I wanted to put on my shoes to go see your wall but I don't think my toes will go in," Yukino lamented.

He stared at her then dropped his eyes to her foot then back to her face with a gentler smile. "Don't worry about that, you take your time. This snow isn't going anywhere anytime soon."

Yukino frowned down at her feet, she always hated times like this, times when she felt trapped. She was startled from her depression by the gentle touch of Sting's fingers pushing her hair behind her ear. She snapped her eyes to his and he jumped slightly and pulled his hand back. Sting smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, you just have such pretty hair."

Yukino felt her cheeks flare with embarrassment. "Thank you," she said quietly. His actions and comment made her nervous, though not in the frightened way she would have expected. He made her feel excited and she found herself unsure of the best way to react. Should she say something she liked about him, could she touch him so casually too?

Before she could make a decision he was bounding away and grabbing the pot near the stove. "I'll get some snow and make some hot water. I wish I could have some tea or something. Is there any left in the stores downstairs?"

Yukino's brain registered his comment just as he disappeared out the door. Stores? When he reappeared she said, "What do you mean stores?"

"The room under the cabin. . ." he said. She stared back blankly and his mouth went wide in surprise, "You never went in there?"

Yukino shook her head. Sting set the pot on the stove and started stomping his feet around in the direction on the loft area. "It was somewhere over here. . ." He stopped when the floor made a hollow sound then he dropped to his knees and put his face down close to the floor. He pulled a knife from his pocket and pried under one of the floor boards then to Yukino's surprise a section of flooring swung up. Sting slowly lowered himself down and disappeared under the cabin.

Yukino slowly walked towards the hole. Sting's voice called out saying, "This stuff is probably a little stale, I don't know how well it's kept up down here, but there's a little tea and ooooo some instant coffee, that should be good."

Yukino hesitantly looked over the edge down into the hole. It was a small space, Sting took up nearly the whole space but it was lined with shelves full of miscellaneous supplies. The drinks Sting spoke of, some miscellaneous tools, a couple pairs of snowshoes, old canned goods with faded labels, and an assortment of utensils for cooking and eating over fire. Yukino sat, her knees suddenly wobbly, that had been there the whole time and she hadn't had a clue.

Sting pulled himself out and closed the door, still completely oblivious to her distress. "We should keep these up here. I can't believe you've been here this whole time and you didn't know about. . ." He stopped talking when he turned to Yukino and finally noticed she was upset. He frowned, "What's the matter?"

Yukino looked up at him, to her horror his concerned expression made her nose run and tears flood her eyes. "It's just. . .it's just I almost died of starvation and all that. . .all that was right there!"

He set the containers down and sat down next to her, pulling her up against him with an arm wrapped around her shoulders. "Jiemma did do a good job putting it in, it's super well hidden. Besides I think most of that is expired, it's probably just mush by now. . ."

"Mush is better than nothing!" she wailed.

"Yea, I suppose things would have been a little bit different if you knew about it," Sting admitted. "How long have you been staying here?"

Yukino wiped her eyes, "Almost a year . . ."

"You probably would have finished all of it my now if you had found it right away, so you'd probably still be in the same predicament by this point," he offered.

"But I wouldn't look like this, I would feel like this, my body would have something to live off of." Yukino rested her face in her hands. "I just feel so stupid."

He turned slightly to hug her with both arms. "You're not stupid, maybe a little bit unlucky and unobservant but not stupid," he said with a chuckle. Her eyes went wide when she felt him kiss the top of head. He popped up quickly and grabbed the containers he had left nearby on the floor. "So coffee or tea?"

Still wheeling from the kiss, Yukino stared up at him unable to form a complete thought much less decide on a drink. He laughed at her expression. "Tea it is then, we'll save the coffee for when we need it."

Yukino placed a hand on the spot he had kissed her head. Sting kept throwing her off balance, she needed to regain control.

"You want me to make some more venison too? Are you hungry?" Sting asked, pulling her attention away from herself.

Yukino managed a nod and wiped her nose. Sting grinned, "Good, we'll fatten you up in no time."

"Is this all part of a plan to eat me?" Yukino managed to tease weakly.

Sting paused mid putting on a boot and stared at her, then he laughed. "Who knew you made jokes?" He finished putting on his shoes and pulled on his coat. When he opened the front door, Polaris shot in almost bowling him over. Sting smiled with bright red cheeks as he sturdied himself. "Whoa, that took me by surprise!" Sting laughed and disappeared outside.

Polaris was by Yukino's side and licking her face immediately but Yukino was still watching the now closed door. Maybe they were both unbalanced, the notion made her smile.


	7. White Liar

Yet another meal passed where Yukino ate and promptly fell asleep. Sting cleaned up the dishes and found that he kept glancing at her. Then when he took inventory of what was beneath the cabin, he popped his head back up to check on her every few minutes. He looked again in the cabinets and her bag, even risked a few plucks on her instrument, and still ended up sitting next to her watching her breathe. He knew it was strange, if she woke she would probably think he was a creep, but no matter how he tried, he couldn't distract himself from the sleeping girl in the middle of the room.

Finally he gave in and laid out his sleeping bag next to hers. He lay on top of it and used his coat for a pillow. He tried looking at the ceiling, watching the stove, closing his eyes, but his eyes kept getting drawn back to the girl curled up on the floor next to him. He had a strong urge to touch her again, just to tuck her in more tightly or push the hair out of her face, but she was sleeping so soundly and Polaris watched Sting warily. Polaris was a smart dog.

Sting rolled back on his back with a big sigh and Yukino wrinkled her nose. "Why are you so restless?" she half rasped, half whispered with her eyes still closed.

Sting shifted his wide eyes to her face. Had she been awake the whole time? Did she catch him staring? He cleared his throat and answered, "I don't usually sleep very much."

She blinked hard and opened her eyes. "I'm starting to get the feeling that you aren't very good at sitting still either," she said with a gentle smile.

He smiled back, "No, not really."

She looked at the fire and then back to him. "What helps you sleep at home?"

Sting frowned, it was rare that he had an evening like this where he had free time to fill. Most nights Jiemma had worked them so hard Sting couldn't wait to drop in bed and close his eyes. "Other than pure exhaustion? I don't know." He tried to think of the big snows last year, it felt like a lifetime ago. "Sometimes Rogue will read a story I guess. . ."

"Is that what you need? Do you want me to read to you?"

"Oh . . ." Sting was tempted to say yes, he was curious about what the book in her bag contained but she had also shifted slightly closer while speaking with him. He worried if she got up to get something she might put more distance between them. "No, don't worry about it. I'm sorry for waking you. I'll settle now, I swear, it's just been a weird day."

Yukino shifted a little bit closer. "You know what helps me sleep?"

"What?" he said, fully aware that he was grinning down at her like an idiot now. She was almost touching him, and her large doe eyes and sleepy voice were unbearably cute.

She smiled and shifted just the tiniest bit closer. "I like when Polaris lays near it makes me feel safe. I always sleep more soundly when he's near."

Sting's grin grew so wide it almost hurt. "Yea?"

Yukino lifted her head. "Would it help if I was closer?" She was almost completely up against him now.

Sting shrugged. "It certainly wouldn't hurt," he said, hoping he appeared unaffected though he felt every muscle in his body tense with anticipation.

Yukino smiled and scooted the last millimeter closer. She rested her head on his chest and put an arm across him. He could feel her fingers pulling at his shirt near the rib cage before settling on his side. He struggled to breathe normally and ignore the way his skin tingled and twitched at her touch.

"I'm sorry I've slept so much today and left you all alone. I hope I have more energy tomorrow," she said with a yawn.

Sting was failing miserably at getting his muscles to relax. He still couldn't believe she had initiated such a thing. It was so tempting to just run a hand through her hair, he put his hands behind his head to restrain them.

Yukino snuggled in closer with a humm. She closed her eyes and murmured, "How are you so warm? You aren't even under a blanket."

Sting chuckled nervously, "Well you know, just lucky like that I guess."

"Just lucky," she breathed out and her body grew heavy. Sting rolled his eyes up and sighed. He was elated that she felt comfortable enough to lay on him like this, but how the hell was he supposed to get any sleep now?

* * *

Yukino woke wrapped up in Sting's arms. With a tiny smile, she breathed in his scent and allowed herself to snuggle in closer. He was warm and there was something comforting about hearing the beat of his heart. Sorano wouldn't like that Yukino had been so forward but for just this time Yukino hoped her sister had been wrong. She wanted to trust him, she wanted to get closer to him, she wanted to open her heart.

It just felt damn good to hug someone again. It didn't hurt that he was also handsome and sweet. Her image of him from that night at the big house was almost gone. Now all she saw was the man who saved her, who cooked for her, who hugged and kissed her when she felt despair. How could she not trust him after the last two days?

He blinked his eyes and lifted his arm quickly. He grinned nervously. "Sorry Yukino I didn't mean to trap ya like that."

Yukino looked at him and realized this was a deciding moment. Did she want them to become closer or did she want to make a boundary clear? She wasn't quite sure what she wanted but what she did know was that it felt much colder without his arm there. She grabbed it and pulled it back in place. "No, I didn't feel trapped, I liked it."

He smiled Yukino's favorite smile, the one that reminded her of a little boy with a brand new toy, then he gave her a little squeeze. Yukino closed her eyes and settled back into his chest. If her short life had taught her anything, it was that moments like this were fleeting, she should enjoy it while it lasted.

* * *

It wasn't until the next day that the snow finally stopped, by then the snow was over four feet high. Sting looked through the slit between the roof and the top of the snow and frowned. Soon would be the time to strike out and head back, who knew how long this break in the weather would last. If it was like last year it might only be a few days before another storm tore through.

"You're going to leave me, aren't you?" Yukino's voice came from behind him.

Sting turned. Yukino had stuffed her feet in those ridiculously large boots and she still wore his clothes under her ragged coat. She looked scared. He didn't want to leave her, even if he did he knew he couldn't, he was supposed to bring her back or at least a piece of her. Until this moment he had been avoiding thinking about his true purpose here and now he felt hit over the head with it. Why did she trust him so easily? Didn't she get where he came from?

She searched his face, obviously looking for some kind of reassurance from him. So he said,"I don't want to leave you." He knew it didn't really answer her question but at least it brought a smile back to her face.

Maybe he could bring her back and pretend she wasn't the thief. No one else had gotten a good look at her. But what could he bring as proof of death of the mysterious intruder then? How would he explain Yukino?

Yukino's smile faltered. "Are you okay?"

He had stared too long. He forced himself to smile. "Yea, sorry, my mind got away from me there. I do need to go back, they will be worried about me. When I go would you want to go with me?"

Her smile was back, even brighter. She ran to Sting and slammed into him with a tight hug. "Really? I can?" she exclaimed.

"Sure." Sting slowly returned her hug and grimaced over her shoulder. Now he had to figure out how to tell her about his true purpose out here. He knew Jiemma would bring it up the moment he brought her in the door. Would she still be this excited when she found out why he was really there?

* * *

Rogue stared out the window though he knew he probably wouldn't find anything but trees and snow. If Sting did make it back, it probably wouldn't be today since the snow had only just stopped falling and would still be extremely difficult to traverse. Still Rogue continued his vigil, with Sting gone his mind couldn't concentrate on anything else. Sting had to come back, Rogue didn't know what he would do without his best friend.

"He's not coming back you know," Minerva said dryly as she perched in the seat next to him.

Rogue's jaw slightly tightened but otherwise he showed no signs of responding.

"Are you going to sit here all day? Even Lector has taken a break, I just saw him having a rousing game of cards with Frosh." She sat a little bit more forward in her chair and with a teasing smile she looked out the window next to him. "Or maybe you know something we don't? Have you spotted any yetis yet?"

Rogue shifted away from her and rested his chin in his arms with a frown. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

Minerva flopped back in her chair with a pout and started playing with the ends of her hair. "Actually no. Father is out with Orga checking for any downed trees and Rufus is being dreadfully boring in the store room." She released the strands of hair and lifted her eyes to his face. "So get out of your funk and come entertain me."

"I'd rather stay here," Rogue sighed.

Minerva crossed her arms. "I'm not happy with father either you know, sending Sting away like that. He's the only one of the four of you with any personality."

Rogue just shrugged.

Minerva pursed her lips, then she slapped her palms to her thighs and sat forward. "You do realize he's probably dead," she hissed, "my father gave him so little for this journey. If you keep up this vigil father might decide you should be the one sent to retrieve the remains."

Rogue swallowed deeply. "If he didn't I would volunteer to do it anyway." He turned to look at her face and was surprised to see her struggling to hold in an expression of feeling. Her lips pursed tightly and a slight wrinkle to her brow appeared and disappeared as if it was simply a muscle spasm.

She stood suddenly and scowled down at him. "You're an idiot. I don't know why I try anyway!" Then she stormed off shouting, "Everyone in this damn house is so boring! I might as well have gone with Sting and froze to death in the goddamn snow, that would have been more exciting than being trapped in this shithole!"

Rogue was sure her grumbling continued but he could no longer discern what she was saying. He turned back to the window. Sting had to return, Rogue just didn't have the fortitude to survive in this household without him.

He felt a hand gently rest on his arm and looked down to find a clearly distressed Lector. Lector's nose was leaking and he was struggling hard not cry, afterall no crying was allowed here, tigers didn't cry. "Do you . . .do you think she's . . .do you think she's right?" Lector stuttered.

Rogue tilted his head, "About what Lector?"

"Do you think . . .do you think he's really dead?"

Rogue shook his head, "Nah, Sting would never go down so easy."

Lector rubbed his eyes roughly. "Yea, of course. I just wanted to make sure you knew that."

Rogue smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. "Thanks Lector." He glanced out the window for a moment and then looked back to Lector. "What are you doing now? Still playing cards?"

"Well I was, but Frosh doesn't seem to get it, he's no fun to play with," Lector said with a pout.

Rogue stood, "Well how about I go help him, would that make it more fun?"

Lector nodded enthusiastically and bounced off to lead the way with a shout of "Come on!"

Rogue nodded and almost smiled at Lector's fast change of mood. He wished he could shake off his own anxiety so easily, but he wasn't a kid anymore. He and Sting hadn't been able to be kids for a long time. Lector looked up at him again with a smile and Rogue forced himself to grin back. The boys would need him to pretend.


	8. Preparations

Sting couldn't decide the best way to bring it up. The moment the words would be on his tongue it would feel like he was choking. How could he tell Yukino such an awful thing? She had been alone for so long, it was amazing she could trust him at all. Once she found out what Jiemma had sent him to do, she would reject him, hell she might even run away, the thought made him sick.

For the first time since arriving, he found himself avoiding conversations with Yukino. He busied himself taking supplies they would need for the journey from the down in the storage area. He cleaned the extra snow off the porch and the wood pile outside. Then he started stacking as much wood along the wall in the cabin as he could.

Yukino tried to engage him a couple times but after a few short answers, she gave up. She pulled the book out of her bag and climbed up in the loft. She watched him warily every time he came back into the room. He started to worry that he might be making things worse when he noticed that his attempts at reassuring smiles didn't cause a release in the tension visible on her face.

Sting filled the very last slot on the wall with a log and, for a while, he stood staring at it scratching the back of his neck. He had nothing left to do. When he turned back Yukino was studiously staring at her book. He watched her carefully, it seemed to be taking her a long time to finish what she was reading. Sting slowly crossed the room and stopped next to the loft. Yukino slowly looked up from her book. "Are you going . . .are you going to tell me I can't . . ." she paused and took a deep breath. "Are you going to tell me I can't come?"

Sting simply answered, "No, of course not." He probably should tell her that, but he knew he wouldn't. There were few guarantees about how Jiemma would handle her arrival.

Yukino closed her book and gripped it tightly. "You don't have to bring me if you don't want me there. I can survive on my own you know, I don't need you to take care of me."

"Yukino . . ." Sting sighed.

"And if you're worried about my injury, you don't have to, I swear even when I'm hurt I can move fast. I've had to do it before," she rambled on.

Sting furrowed his brow, "Wait what?"

Her voice changed to a higher pitch. "And you won't have to worry about Polaris, he's very well behaved. He can pull his own weight."

Sting covered his eyes and shook his head. "Stop Yukino, just stop."

"Sorry," she whispered.

Sting grabbed the side of the loft and pulled himself up to sit next to her. "Yukino . . ." he said as he leaned close. "I'm not worried about any of that." He looked down and swallowed deeply. "Before we leave I have to be upfront with you about why I'm out here and I'm worried after I tell you, you won't want anything to do with me anymore."

"Why . . .why wouldn't I want . . ." her eyes went wide and she covered her mouth. "What were you doing here?"

Sting leaned away and frowned. "Jiemma was not very happy that I let you slip through my fingers again. Somehow you always came and went when it was my guard duty."

Yukino grimaced behind her hands. "I only came when it was your guard duty."

Sting snapped his head in her direction. "What? Why?"

Yukino pulled her legs to her chest and hid her face on her knees. "Because you looked like you would be the nicest," she answered in a quick mumble.

Sting stared at her in disbelief than let out a shocked guffaw. "You what?"

Yukino slowly lifted her eyes to meet his. "I thought you would be the nicest."

Sting grinned. "Well you were wrong, Rogue definitely would have been much nicer than me."

Yukino raised a brow. "The dark one who's always with you?"

"Yeah."

Yukino's head popped up. "He always looks so severe though!"

"Nah, he's just quiet. Not sure why, maybe he's constipated all the time," Sting chuckled. "Go figure I got in trouble all because our thief thought I was cute."

Yukino's mouth dropped. "I never said you were cute!" she defended.

"So you don't think I am?" Sting asked.

Yukino blushed and looked away, "I don't know that that's the right word."

Sting was buzzing, it felt like all of his nerves were on high alert, she really did like him. Then, like a wave of ice cold water, he was brought back to his senses with a thought to how they had started this conversation. He was going to tell her this awful thing and she was never going to want to see him again. The realization made him want to throw up.

Yukino noticed his silence and eyed him curiously. "So why are you here?"

Sting threw his head back and stared at the ceiling. "Jiemma sent me here to find you, and I was supposed to . . ." He sighed, he wished there was an easier way to say it. He shifted his eyes to her face. "I was supposed to make sure you couldn't come back."

As he predicted, fear formed behind her eyes. She shifted away from him and asked weakly, "How were you supposed to do that?"

Sting sat forward and turned to her. "Jiemma said I had to kill you and somehow prove I did it or else I couldn't come home."

Yukino froze, eyes wide.

Sting slowly lifted a hand, "I swear, I never wanted to hurt you."

Yukino scooted a little bit farther away. Her eyes narrowed. "Never wanted to hurt me? What about back at the house?"

"I didn't know you, I was angry. You kept slipping away and making me look bad. I thought you were some punk kid I was just trying to scare you," Sting explained.

"And what now? What happens now? How can I go with you if Jiemma wants me dead?" she asked frantically.

"Nobody else saw you, just me. We can say you're someone else, that you aren't the one who store from the store room."

There was a long pause. Then Yukino furrowed her brow and asked, "I have to lie?"

Sting grimaced. "Yes. I can say I chased the other person into the lake and found you here when I went to take shelter. You're strong, you're good with a bow, you would be a great addition to Sabertooth. I can't see Jiemma saying no."

"And if he doesn't want me? Then what? He kills me?"

"I would never let him," Sting practically shouted.

"But what would we do?"

"Take Rogue, Lector, and Frosh and start somewhere new. I hear when you go south there's a lot of bigger settlements." Sting looked down at his feet, "There's even one that's all women, a group that escaped Bora. I considered taking you there but. . ." he looked back up into her eyes, "I don't want to lose you."

Yukino visibly sagged. "You don't want to lose me?" she repeated back dumbly.

"I know I've only known you two days, but you've already become really important to me." He scooted a little closer. "You can go wherever you want, I'll take you there I promise, but I selfishly hope you feel the same way I do and want to come with me."

A tear slid down her cheek and she sniffled. "You're important to me too, but I . . . I have to think about this . . .do I have time to think?"

Sting nodded, "You can tell me in the morning. If the ice crust is good we can get moving. Although if you decide you want to go somewhere else. . ." He smiled nervously. "Then I suppose we'll have to decide if we want to risk traveling or wait for another break in the weather."

Yukino nodded but didn't say a word. She looked thoroughly depressed, Sting could understand, he felt the same way. It it weren't for Rogue and Lector, he would never go back. He would find a way to stay here forever with her, even if it meant surviving off tree bark when the deer ran out. He just couldn't desert his friends, it would be like deserting family.

Yukino lowered herself onto her side and curled up in a ball. She pulled a blanket around herself and without a word, closed her eyes. Sting watched her for a bit then drifted down off the loft and wandered over to the fire. He lowered himself down and sat cross legged by the stove. He couldn't believe he was going to lose her, she was the first light she had found in the dark world since finding Lector, he desperately wanted to cling to that light. How was it that after just a few days, a world without her sounded so bleak and cold?

* * *

Yukino opened her eyes and the cabin was complete silence. She sat up slowly and found Sting asleep on his back near the fire. Polaris slept on the floor nearby. It was hard to tell what time it was with the snow so high outside but it felt like the middle of the night. Despite the time, she felt wide awake, a side effect of constant napping and lack of sunlight.

She curled up tight under her blanket and watched Sting sleep. She didn't know what the right decision was here. Sorano would have picked to go find the group of women, Sorano would have been cautious, Sorano probably would have attempted to kill sting while he slept. She could hear her sister whisper, 'It's either you or him, you have to look out for yourself, you have to survive." Yukino was tired of just surviving though, she wasn't sure that life like that was worth it anymore.

She climbed down cautiously, watching Sting's face to be sure he didn't wake. Then she found her bag and retrieved the small thumb piano. She clambered quickly back up to the loft, Polaris lifted his head to look at her, his expression more annoyed than concerned. Yukino smiled apologetically and whispered, "sorry, go back to sleep." Polaris sighed and lowered her head. His relaxed behavior soothed her. He trusted Sting now, that had to count for something.

She had pulled out the instrument because she always found playing calmed her nerves and helped her think, but now she had the dilemma that playing might wake Sting. She tentatively plucked the highest note a few times watching Sting's face carefully for a reaction. When he showed no signs of waking she sighed with relief.

Then she played, quietly at first, but the more she played the less concerned she became with waking anyone. Quiet plucks changed to normal volume and eventually she found herself singing along. She let her mind wander. She missed her sister and her grandparents. She missed Polaris' brothers a sisters. She missed the years they all lived together up north, before her grandparents passed, before her sister was stolen away. The songs brought them all back, like they were singing with her, like they were all together once again.

She risked a glance back down at Sting and was surprised to find his eyes wide open and watching her. She abruptly stopped playing and smiled tightly. "Sorry I didn't mean to wake you."

"Your voice is so beautiful," he said with a smile. He sighed and looked back at the stove. "You're beautiful," he added quietly and Yukino knew, she couldn't leave his side.

Her sister would be so mad, he had basically offered her escort wherever she pleased, he had admitted his grievous mission, he had admitted that he didn't know what awaited them back with Sabertooth. She could head south to the bigger settlements, to more steady food. She could use his help to find the elusive Mermaid Tail. She could tell him she had to stay here. Instead she was going to make a dumb decision. She couldn't help it, she wanted to go home with him, she wanted to meet his family. Sting just seemed worth the risk.

Yukino set down her instrument and lowered herself to the floor. He watched her warily as he pulled himself up to a seated position. He looked so adorably nervous, he really did want her to go with him. She sat next to him and scooted close.

Sting swallowed, "Did you make a decision?"

"I don't want to lose you either," Yukino smiled, "I still want to come with you."

Sting hopped to his feet and whooped in celebration. Then he pulled her up with him and spun her around. He set her down and seemed a little embarrassed by his actions. He grinned sheepishly. "I'm just really happy you're going to come."

Yukino felt like her heart might explode. Was it normal to feel so strongly about someone so soon? Was this just because she had been alone for so long or was it because it was him? She didn't know if there was an answer to either of these questions, all she knew was that she might love him already. She put her hands on the sides of his face and pulled him down to kiss him on the lips.

He flinched slightly at first, taken completely by surprise by her actions, but in a heartbeat he melted into her. One arm held her tight to him while the other found it's way behind her head, his fingers laced between strands of hair. Their kisses were eager and inexperienced, both unsure of what they were supposed to do but both sure they liked what they were doing.

When they pulled apart, Yukino hugged him close. "I'll be safe right? You'll keep me safe?"

Sting squeezed her tight and whispered, "I promise."


	9. Rough Travels

"Yukino, Yukino, foolish, gullible Yukino," her sister's voice rang in her ear. Yukino squeezed her eyes shut tight. It was so cold, it was always so cold. She felt as if she was being dragged, she couldn't move her arms and legs. Her foot throbbed with pain. The ground suddenly dropped out from beneath her and returned violently, slamming her body down so hard it hurt her bones.

"You've learned nothing and now you're letting an untrustworthy man drag you to your death. Was my death for nothing? Love is not real, he will choke you with it. You should have stabbed him in his sleep. All men are good for is making my soup. Imagine the knives you could have made with those bones . . ." Sorano continued and Yukino frowned. Something sounded wrong in her sister's voice, it sounded harder, stranger than she remembered.

"No," Yukino moaned, hoping to stop the cruel voice in her head.

"If he doesn't toss you when he's done with you, you'll be nothing more than a slave. They'll work you like a dog during the day and use you like a whore during the night. Stupid, naive girl. . ."

"No!" Yukino cried. Tears began to slide down her face. At first they felt warm against the frigid wind, but they quickly dried and began pulling uncomfortably at the skin around her eyes.

The world around her stopped moving."Yukino?"

Yukino tried to push away from the voice, but her arms wouldn't move. "No!" She cried, turning her face away into her hood.

Cloth covered hands touched her cheeks. "Yukino!"

"It's not true, it's not true. . ." she cried.

There was a shuffle and warm uncovered fingers wiped the tears from her eyes. "Yukino, please look at me. You're worrying me."

Yukino blinked. The world was white but as she slowly turned her head Sting's face came into focus. He visibly sagged with relief when her eyes met his and he kissed her forehead. "Are you alright? You were shouting."

"Where are we?" Yukino asked. She tried to glance around them but all she could see was white. She felt foggy and disoriented. Her mouth was too dry, she clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth in an effort to wet it.

Sting reached into his jacket and pulled out a water bottle. He fumbled with the lid and after pulling away the scarf from her mouth, he held it to her lips. "Here, take a sip first."

She welcomed the tiny splashes he dripped into her mouth. The water was warm from being held close to his chest. When he took it away, it felt too soon.

"We're still about half a day's walk from the house. Do you remember getting up? You were having trouble getting moving. You said it was okay if I strapped you to the sled like this and pulled it with Polaris. Are you still alright?" His face reddened and he stared down at his hands. "You weren't making a whole lot of sense. . .I didn't know what else to do."

Yukino smiled. She wished she could reach out and touch him but she was bundled too tightly. "I'm sorry, I don't really remember this morning, but thank you for pulling me, it must be very taxing for you."

He looked up and grinned. "Nah, I'm happy to help. I'd carry you on my back if I could. Polaris has done most of the work anyway, you trained him well."

"So we'll get there by tonight?" Yukino asked.

Sting grimaced. "It will be dark soon. I'm afraid we're gonna have to hunker down in the snow for one more night. I think Polaris needs a break."

Yukino's bottom lip dropped. "This is my fault isn't it. You could have made it home if it wasn't for me."

Sting shook his head and attempted to give her a reassuring grin, "No, no. It's just that in snowshoes it's hard, it's slow going. I would have been this slow either way."

Yukino knew he was lying. She walked with him the entire first day and she had struggled to keep up. Normally it would have been no trouble for her but her foot protested with every step and as the day went on she kept feeling unbearably hot and then freezing cold. She hid it well, Sting even seemed unaware of her struggle when they were lying wrapped up in their sleeping bag but she couldn't hide the way her body wouldn't let her get up that morning.

"Yukino. . ." Sting held her face gently, forcing her to look him in the eye. "It's okay, we'll be there by midday tomorrow. Then we'll get you a warm meal and a bath. Just focus on that, okay?"

Yukino nodded, biting her lip to hold in the sudden burst of sadness over her ineptness. Sting lowered his head and kissed her. His warmth and affection seemed to thaw her just enough to lose her feeling of hopelessness.

She smiled at him, "Will you at least let me help when we set up camp?"

He grinned back and ran a rough thumb across her cheek. "Of course." Then he gently put her scarfs back in place on her face. She watched him put his face mask back in place as well and rewrap his fingers. Then with a wink he stood and disappeared into the white. She heard him call to Polaris again and suddenly she jerked forward. She tried to stay awake, she worried if she didn't he would handle setting up the tent all by himself. Eventually she couldn't fight it anymore and she drifted back to sleep.

* * *

It was a cold day but Rogue could barely feel the frigid breeze as he trudged through the snow. It was his turn to patrol. The urge to wander off and look for Sting was strong but he thought of Frosh back at the house and knew he couldn't. Sting wasn't there anymore, so without Rogue there would be no one to help Frosh and Lector get through the hard everyday of Sabertooth. He imagined it wouldn't be long before Jiemma sent them on their way if Rogue wasn't there to protect them.

Lector was taking patrol more seriously than usual. He investigated every sound and every strange shape in the snow. Rogue knew the boy was even more desperate than he was to find Sting. Rogue didn't have the heart to tell the boy Sting probably wasn't coming home. Rogue couldn't say it because if he did then it was real. He didn't want it to be real. This first snow had been deep and the snow coming would be worse, it always was. If Sting didn't get back soon he could be stuck out there for weeks and with so little food Rogue couldn't see how Sting could make it.

The house was cold and silent without Sting around to lighten the mood. Rogue could tell that everyones' spirits were down, he could also see that Jiemma was reveling in it. Rogue was starting to question whether the decision to follow Jiemma all those years ago had been the right one. What kind of leader wanted his subordinates to be at odds with each other? What kind of leader wanted those who relied on him to feel absolute hopelessness? They should all be working together to survive out here, they should be family, not competitors. The woods that surrounded the house were cold enough, it seemed wrong to let that chill seep into the house as well.

In the distance Rogue heard the sound of a dog's bark and he froze. Lector froze as well, then slowly turned his face back to Rogue with eyes wide as saucers. Knowing the boy's impetuous tendencies, Rogue attempted to warn, "It's a dog Lector you don't even know if it's friendly. Be careful when. . ." But Lector was already sprinting away toward the sound.

With a curse Rogue sprinted after him, lumbering awkwardly through the deep snow. When he heard the joyous cry of "Sting!" he thought he might be hallucinating, but he circled the tree towards the sound and there his friend was with a dog, pulling a heavy loaded sled. Overjoyed, he took off and practically slammed into Sting with a tight hug.

To his surprise Sting didn't smile, or even look very pleased. Instead he clung desperately to Rogue's jacket. "You have to help me man, we've got to hurry and get her into the house!"

"Get who into the house?" Rogue asked.

He looked over to where Lector was picking at the sled and realized that there was a person strapped to the top. "Who's this Sting?" Lector asked, putting his face right up to the person's eyes.

"Yukino, we have to get her in. I don't know what's wrong. . ." Sting rasped.

Rogue's eyes went wide with sudden understanding. He turned slowly towards Sting. "What have you done?" he whispered.

Sting's eyes cut over to Lector. "Please Rogue, let's just get her in. I promise I'll tell you what happened. I promise." Rogue glanced back at the person strapped to the makeshift sled and was surprised by the pitiful way that Sting repeated, "Please."

Rogue nodded and then started untying the rope from the clearly exhausted dog. "Let's head to the back entrance. We can clean you two up before Jiemma gets back." Then he started pulling towards the house. Sting followed after, allowing Lector to bare some of his weight.

"Isn't that lucky Sting? He took Orga to check the South traps. We'll have you looking like you came home from a nice nap before he's even on his way back," Lector said excitedly.

It made Rogue's heart warm to hear Sting say, "What do ya mean? I could face him now. I look great! The cold was nothing."

Rogue snorted, "Sure, that's why your nose looks like you have rug burn."

"I knew you would make it back. Minerva was being ya know. . .Minerva about it, but I told her she was wrong. Nothing could ever bring you down," Lector said proudly.

Sting chuckled, "You got that right."

Rogue looked back at the girl resting in the sled. She had to be the thief, Rogue could just tell. What was Sting thinking? Why was he so desperate to get her in the house and well. He really hoped she was worth it, because there was no way Jiemma would go easy on her or Sting, or any of the people Sting cared about. Rogue looked at Sting one last time and noticed an expression of pain slip out from beneath his mask of strength. Rogue looked forward again and tried to increase his pace. The girl was clearly important to Sting and that meant she was important to Rogue as well.


End file.
